PETALING JAYA: Relevant authorities should sit down and discuss whether roads should be closed down while major highway projects are ongoing, to avoid mishaps, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Alliance for Safe Community chairman said more attention to safety is needed along with reviews on whether roads should be closed during construction on highways.
"The construction site should be examined to determine whether the roads below should be closed down and traffic diverted.
"Every now and then we can see there are major highway projects that are ongoing but the public can still pass through it.
"When you look up you can still see all the concrete beams and some are worried whether it will fall especially during rush hour or traffic jams," he said when contacted.
Earlier today, three foreign workers died after a construction crane fell along the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE).
The cause of the incident is still under investigation.
Lee said that the contractor or the developer of the project should take full responsibility..
"This is very tragic as it involves the loss of innocent lives.
"This is where I feel the contractor or those behind it should be held responsible," he said.
He added the loss of lives was totally preventable.
"We have to see if they had conducted enough safety audits and had operated in accordance with law," he said,
Lee. who is also the former chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh), also called on the government to take action.
"This is not the first time we heard of such cases. It is rather disappointing that the public have yet to find out the outcome of the previous cases.
"How many of them have been held responsible and brought to justice?
"The government must be more accountable and transparent on such cases.
"The outcome of each investigation must be made known and action must be taken against them," he said.
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